Kelowna Rockets forward Ty Hurley has been nominated for the Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy.
The annual award to given to the league’s humanitarian of the year and one player is nominated from each division.
Hurley has a strong chance to win the award after saving a man from drowning in a swimming pool in a Strathmore, Alta hotel in December. While hanging out in the hotel lobby with some teammates, he noticed a man struggling and jumped into action, pulling the man out of the pool and performing CPR until paramedics arrived.
“I took off my shirt and leaned over the edge (of the pool) and grabbed him by his shoulders and ripped him out of the water,” Hurley recalled after the fact. “He was probably under there for at least 30-40 seconds. I got him out of there, flipped him on his back and he wasn’t breathing at all. It was pretty scary.”
The 19-year-old forward was already awarded the Silver Medal of Merit and the M.G. Griffiths Award by the Lifesaving Society, B.C. and Yukon at the 112th Annual Commonwealth Award for Honour and Rescue in March.
The four nominees are:
B.C. Division – Ty Hurley (Sherwood Park, Alta.)- Kelowna Rockets
Central Division – Shane Smith (Cessford, Alta.)- Medicine Hat Tigers
East Division – Evan Gardner (Fort St. John, B.C.)- Saskatoon Blades
U.S. Division – Tyler Palmer (Fernie, B.C.)- Everett Silvertips
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